Having some serious "addiction" problems with food, can this hurt the baby?

I know this probably sounds so silly, but I am literally thinking about calling my dr. in concern. For about the last 2 weeks, all I have eaten is orange juice, strawberries, and tomatoes! I am seriously concerned because anything else makes me want to throw up. I go through about a gallon of OJ a day. The other day, I ate 3 cartons of strawberries and that is ALL.

I really think I am addicted to the acid in the foods. It's awful. I have lost 4 pounds this last week because these things are all I eat... and they are tearing my stomach up! I have tried to not eat them, but I seriously lay in bed at night, unable to fall asleep because all I can think about is drinking OJ! It's like a weird insatiable craving unlike anything I have ever had before. I know I must sound like a crazy person... I FEEL like a crazy person, but I am NOT exaggerating and I am genuinely scared.

Can too much vitamin C or excess acid be harmful to the baby? Has anyone ever been through anything like this? It's uncontrollable!

Re: Having some serious "addiction" problems with food, can this hurt the baby?

I would be concerned with the amount of sugar that is, even though it's from natural sources it's still a lot.

I would also be worried that you are probably deficient in something if you are craving something so strongly. Ice is my big craving and I have to have it. It's not just regular ice either, it's Sonic ice to the point of going through the drive through 3 or 4 times a day for a giant cup of ice water. I think I have the sonic manager convinced I'm interested in him because I'm probably the only crazy person who goes through the drive through multiple times a day and just gets an ice water with extra ice. My iron is very low.

Re: Having some serious "addiction" problems with food, can this hurt the baby?

My guess would be that you are anemic. Vit C aids in iron absorbing. Our body will naturally purge the Vit C out in our urine. The concern is to get your iron checked and be careful you don't give yourself an ulcer from all the acidic food. Also brush often as it can wear down your enamel on your teeth.

Re: Having some serious "addiction" problems with food, can this hurt the baby?

I would ask the doc, but those aren't the worst things to be addicted to. Make sure you're taking your prenatals. If you can get a little protein and calcium in there, you really need to. But I've read that the Vit C strengthens your amniotic sac, so that's good I expected to see you were addicted to cheetos or something. It does sound like a deficiency, but I really don't think you're going to hurt your baby with what you're eating!

Re: Having some serious "addiction" problems with food, can this hurt the baby?

Yeah I would get your iron levels checked. I was severely anemic with my last pregnancy to the point of transfusions. I was vomitting constantly and on zofran and all I could stand was ice. I am STILL addicted to ice and my baby is 3. I love love love ice. Still. And I'm no longer anemic.

Re: Having some serious "addiction" problems with food, can this hurt the baby?

I agree, call your doc and get your iron levels checked! As far as any "damage" from eating acidic food, I don't think you need to worry Yes, thats lots of sugar. Yes, thats lots of Vit. C, but I seriously doubt it harmed your baby!

Re: Having some serious "addiction" problems with food, can this hurt the baby?

Could I be anemic even though I take a prenatal with iron and an additional iron supplement every day? When I had my iron levels checked, they were kinda low... that is when I started taking the extra iron. That was probably about a month or so ago...

My main concern is that I thought too much vitamin C can cause liver damage... i'm sure I have a lot of extra vitamin C in my body... too little to worry about though?

You are 37 wks? Call your doc asap. Pretty sure you do not want to go into labor anemic. I didn't find out I was anemic til after I hemmoraghed, nearly died during my c/s & had transfusions. This pregnancy I am on that anemia thing. I will be tested often.

Re: Having some serious "addiction" problems with food, can this hurt the baby?

I am no expert, but I do know that vitamin C is water soluble, so any excess should be excreted in your urine. Usually, it is fat soluble vitamins that pose a risk of "overdose".

Perhaps too much vitamin C could be damaging as your body works to excrete it? IDK. But, if that were true (which I have no idea if it is or not), I would think that it wouldn't be likely to hurt the baby, since your body is working hard to get rid of the excess.

Personally, I would call my care provider in your situation. It may be nothing, it may be anemia, it may be something else, but in any case, it isn't normal for you and you know that. That's a sign that it should be looked into further, IMO. It is much better to inquire about something that turns out to be nothing than to ignore something that turns out to be something, IYKWIM.